The New Day on Kofi Kingston Deserving a WWE Title Shot, Next Week’s Gauntlet Match, More (Video)

As noted, next week’s WWE SmackDown will feature Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro, Rowan and WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe in a Gauntlet Match. Per Vince McMahon, Kofi will earn a WrestleMania 35 match against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan if he can win the Gauntlet.

Above is video of Kayla Braxton talking to The New Day after this week’s show. Braxton asked Kofi about how he’s feeling when things didn’t go how he wanted them to.

“Naw, man. This is definitely a big mountain to climb, it’s definitely a big mountain to climb,” Kofi said. “But my entire career… I realized a very long time ago, that I was never going to be the guy who, ‘Oh, you look so big, let’s push him in the main event and see,’ or, ‘Oh, this guy’s got the best physique ever, let’s put him in the main event and see.’ It was always going to be the hard way. It’s been hard getting here to this point, it’s been a battle, it’s been a struggle. I’d expect it no other way to get to WrestleMania, but if this is the path that I have to take to get to WrestleMania for the WWE Championship title, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it.”

Braxton asked Kofi what he would say in response to Bryan and McMahon’s comments on SmackDown, about Kofi being a “B Plus Player” and not championship material. Kofi said they were just talking and they know better.

“They’ll say anything, right? They say anything. They know damn well I’m not a B+ player,” Kofi said. “You can call me whatever it is you want to call me, just give me that match and I’ll have to show you otherwise.”

Kofi was also asked about keeping his spirits high after having his emotions played with, while trying to prepare for the Gauntlet. He said, “I’m not even thinking about that right now, man. I’m just happy that I have this opportunity. That’s the first step, that’s all that I’ve ever wanted. I told you last time, I just need a chance and if it’s going to be through 5 different Superstars, then so be it. I’ve just got to make it happen.”

Big E chimed in and talked about how Kofi has had to sacrifice and wait for 11 years. “We’re not waiting anymore. We’re not standing in line, we’re not standing at the door knocking, we’re not being polite anymore. We’re going to take what Kofi deserves. We’re going t take it, we’re going to push people out of the way, we’re going to knock people down, we’re going to do things we need to do. We’re still The New Day, we still have fun, but that time, we’re going to put on hold for now. We’re going to put that in the freezer, put that on ice for now, we’ll take it out again, we’ll take it out and we’ll deep thaw it now, we’ll put it in the microwave and we’ll heat it up, and when it comes time to cook, when it’s time to eat, we’ll eat now. But that nonsense, the fun and games, we’re going to put that to the side for now because now it’s time for us to take.”

Woods agreed with Big E and said The New Day has always had to work twice as hard to be looked at as just as good. He added, “This has been what The New Day has been about, whether you can see everything we’ve been doing for the past 4 or 5 years, this is what The New Day began for. To no longer take, excuse me, to no longer wait, but to take. This is a situation like we’ve seen before, many times before, where we have to do twice as much to be looked at as just as good. Please believe next week Kofi Kingston is going to prevail, he’s going to show everyone, including and most importantly Mr. McMahon, that he deserves that match at WrestleMania against Daniel Bryan. And this man right here, is going to be the next WWE Champion.”